Single-Use Plastics

It's been estimated that each year, households in Toronto generate 400 million single-use plastic bags, 85 million foam takeaway containers, and 39 million single-use drink cups. In fact, the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup recorded over 2,000 pieces of plastic cutlery and 5,700 plastic straws on Toronto's shorelines in 2017 alone. When these items mistakenly end up in our recycling bins, they can contaminate the entire contents which costs the City millions of dollars annually.

In 2019, I successfully passed a motion at City Council calling for a by-law that would require all dining establishments to provide reusable cutlery for eat-in customers. This motion helped pave the way for a City-wide Single-Use and Takeaway Items Reduction Strategy (SUTIRS), which phases out the provision of single-use plastics in Toronto and incentivizes restaurants and retailers to accept reusable cups and containers as an alternative. Research has shown that many retailers in Toronto already offer these programs – an encouraging sign.

The SUTIRS will be implemented in multiple stages, beginning with a Voluntary Measures Program (Stage One) which will encourage food establishments to adopt "ask first/by request" processes for single-use plastics. While Stage One is rolled out, City staff will begin developing mandatory measures for implementation in Stage Two, expected next year.

While convenient, many studies have shown the negative impacts that single-use plastics have on our planet and our waste management infrastructure. A single plastic straw takes 200 years to decompose, a plastic bottle can take 450 years, and a styrofoam cup can take 500 years. I will be pushing to accelerate the City's Single-Use and Takeaway Items Reduction Strategy at every possible opportunity.